I’ve never met some of the people I pray for every day. My wife has spoken with our state representative Jan Jones several times, but I started praying for her simply because I live in House District 47 and figured it was my job to pray for my representative. I pray for the governor and lieutenant governor and other holders of statewide offices because what our government does matters, especially to poor people.

I also pray for people I hate, like State Senator Josh McKoon of Columbus, GA. I could use politer language to express my feelings about Senator McKoon, but God knows I hated him for repeatedly advocating for religious freedom legislation that adds no religious freedom, but does provide support for discrimination against gay, lesbian, or transgender people.

The prayer recorded in Psalm 139:21-22 says, “Lord, I hate those who hate you; I hate those who rise up against you. I feel only hate for them: they are my enemies” (New Century Version).

I view Senator McKoon as attacking God’s vulnerable children, but I don’t like being inflamed with hatred. God loves all of us even when we sin repeatedly, so I don’t think hating a sinner is okay, even when the prayer book of the Bible models it. Besides, Matthew 5:22 recorded Jesus saying, “Whoever is angry with his brother will be brought to trial, whoever calls his brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ will be brought before the Council, and whoever calls his brother a worthless fool will be in danger of going to the fire of hell” (Good News Translation). So I added Senator McKoon to my prayer list.

I would like to love Senator McKoon. I don’t, but I did stop hating him two or three days after adding him to my prayer list. There is something about holding a person up in prayer that pulls the plug on hatred for me. Now I don’t pray for him exactly like I pray for people with whom I have no conflict.

My prayers are often simple. I might say, “Lord, please bless Jan Jones.” I think my expressing good will towards whomever I am praying for is helpful, but I don’t think God is more impressed by my prayer if I offer detailed recommendations about how to bless a person.

But I can’t bring myself to say simply, “Lord, please bless Josh McKoon.” Rationally, I don’t think asking God to bless someone means I am asking that they get everything they want and experience only sweetness and light. But when it comes to people I largely disagree with, I word my prayer like this, “Lord, please be at work in the life of Josh McKoon.”

I hope that by talking honestly about my prayer life, you will be bold to be honest with God in your prayers. I guess what I am trying to say is that prayer is not about sounding good, it is about opening your heart to God and to other people. I now feel genuine affection for one man on my prayer list whom I used to hate. I hope I get there with Josh McKoon too, but I am not there yet.